SAN DIEGO – San Diego State's TJ Fondtain (Clovis, Calif./Buchanan HS) was named one of five finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, presented by the College Baseball Foundation. The announcement was made Tuesday by the College Baseball Foundation in Lubbock, Texas.
The award is named for former Washington State University standout John Olerud, who achieved success both as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher during the late 1980s and was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. The award will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this summer.
A native of Clovis, California, Fondtain earned Mountain West Pitcher of the Year honors in 2023 to go with first-team all-conference recognition after leading the Aztecs to a share of the MW regular-season championship.
A 6-5 left-handed pitcher/outfielder, Fondtain was the bona fide ace of the SDSU staff this spring, posting a 7-3 record during the regular season while leading the league in ERA (2.80), opposing batting average (.193), hits allowed per nine innings (6.23) and innings pitched (86.2). He also tied for the top spot in victories and ranked second in strikeouts (93).
On April 21, Fondtain tossed the eighth no-hitter in program history vs. Nevada, notching a career-high 14 strikeouts while issuing just one walk to the leadoff batter in the ninth after tossing eight perfect innings.
With his accomplishment, Fondtain earned multiple national honors, including Pitcher of the Week recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and D1Baseball.com, along with his selection as Peak Performer of the Week from the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award.
In addition, Fondtain displayed his versatility at the plate during the regular season, posting a .279 batting average with a team-high nine home runs. The Aztec junior also topped the squad with a .902 OPS and ranked second with 35 RBIs in that span, logging 26 starts at designated hitter and 16 in left field.
Joining Fondtain on the list of finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player Award are Florida sophomore Jac Calianone (LHP/1B), Clemson junior Caden Grice (RHP/1B), Eastern Illinois senior Ryan Ignoffo (RHP/IF) and Wichita State sophomore Payton Tolle (LHP/IF). Former Air Force catcher/right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes took home the award last season.
After an 0-5 start to the 2023 campaign, San Diego State regrouped to capture a share of the Mountain West regular-season title with an 18-11 mark in conference play. The Aztecs' MW regular-season championship was the program's third overall and first since 2004.
Along with Fondtain's two plaudits, SDSU collected five additional Mountain West postseason honors, including Mark Martinez, who received MW Co-Coach of the Year recognition, while Cole Carrigg, Poncho Ruiz and Kelena Sauer garnered first-team all-conference accolades. The Aztecs' four first-team all-MW selections were the most in the league, while Shaun Montoya was a second-team honoree.